The Nilgiri Mountains rise from the tropical plains of southern India into something altogether different. Though the region sits squarely in the tropics, the elevation brings cold nights, and it is in these colder months that Havakai Frost Tea is made. The tea plants grow slowly in the chill, concentrating their flavor in a way that the warmer seasons simply cannot replicate. The leaves are highly withered and only lightly oxidized, a process that preserves the tea's bright, aromatic character and produces those striking green flecks among the long, twisted brown leaves. The result is a cup that will surprise anyone who thinks of Indian black tea as exclusively bold and malty. Havakai Frost is brisk and citrusy, with a tropical fruit aroma that gives way to a drier, more grapefruit-like finish. If you enjoy the bright, floral qualities of a first flush Darjeeling, this tea offers a similar elegance from a very different corner of India.